That there would be much resentment about an operation in Karachi was a given. Trying to bring together the different political parties of the city is like trying to herd cats. But the opposition is coming from rather unexpected quarters. Ever meticulous in trying to please rivals and coalition members, the ruling PPP seems to have ignored its own party members from Karachi. The partys legislators from Karachi have spoken out against the operation. But it doesnt stop there. If the PPP isnt on the same page on the issue, it is still an internal matter of theirs, regardless of how silly it seems. But lines seem to have been crossed on the procedural front as well since the Sindh home minister himself also claims ignorance. The ANPs resentment, on the other hand, is easy to understand. The operations focus on the Pashtuns sort of ensured that.
The truth of the matter is that you cannot speak about Karachi and not talk about the monster in the room. All other debates, emanating mostly from the mainstream media, dont confront it, and are thus useless. True, the ANP and the PPP patronise criminal elements. True, the parties might even have hit-men on their rolls. True, there are other non-political (at least in terms of the positive framework of the state) entities competing with each other, mostly sectarian in nature. But something has to be said for the citys largest political presence. At least in terms of the number of candidates that it returns to the election commission every time there are polls in Karachi.
Smokescreens like de-weaponisation bills and demands for the same starting from other parts of the country might all be well and good. Gun control is always a good idea. But the situation in Karachi would not be phenomenally different were it carried out. Those who will use guns for target killing will find ways to get them. The real problems run deeper. Karachis political framework hasnt kept up with the changing demographic realities. The citys constituencies have thoroughly gerrymandered delimitations. Most of the Pashtuns are functionally disenfranchised. Whereas the Urdu-speakers are functionally disenfranchised by the peculiar nature with which elections are conducted in Karachi; a manner one wouldnt even see in the rustic backwaters of southern Punjab or interior Sindh. The states law enforcing agencies are virtually absent. And since every successive government at the federal level will strike Faustian deals to ensure a relative peace in Karachi during their tenure, we cant expect much to change.
